In recent years, in order to perform accurate and fast analysis of trace amounts of materials such as proteins or nucleic acids, microchannel chips have been used. The microchannel chips have an advantage of requiring smaller amounts of reagent and sample and thus are expected to be used in various applications including clinical inspection, food inspection, and environmental inspection.
As a technology in order to automate the process using the microchannel chip, a microchannel chip including a valve structure is disclosed (for example, see PTL 1).
PTL 1 discloses a microchannel chip including a micro-valve apparatus which stops flow of liquid inside a liquid channel by supplying air inside the liquid channel. In the microchannel chip described in PTL 1, a valve channel communicating with the liquid channel is formed. The valve channel is connected to a fluid control mechanism (a pump or a syringe) provided outside. When the air is supplied from the valve channel to the liquid channel, an air bubble is formed inside the liquid channel, so that the liquid cannot flow inside the liquid channel. As described above, in the microchannel chip described in PTL 1, the flow of the liquid in the liquid channel can be stopped by supplying the air inside the liquid channel using the fluid control mechanism provided outside.